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It was taboo and it's part of the reason the infection rates in Mississippi and Louisiana are astronomical. People didn't talk about it, now they have major education campaigns to try to stem the infection rates, but it's too little too late for people in my age bracket.

for the record, it's still that way throughout the South, because lack of education and religious stigma are what have contributed to over 50% of all new cases of HIV being in the Southern states, and the death rate still being over 50%. (hence the reason for programs like the Southern HIV/Aids Strategy Initiative (SASI) and AIDS United Southern REACH program). On one hand this isn't surprising information though. While the epidemic has already peaked in many of the large urban areas in the North and West, the epidemic hasn't peaked yet in the Southern states with it's mainly rural areas where there are fewer people who have less education and access to proper health care

btw New Orleans is the city with the 9th highest rate of HIV infection in America. It's unlikely that decent education about HIV WAS happening, much less IS happening yet (though it is improving), in that city.

Logged

leatherman (aka mIkIE)

All the stars are flashing high above the seaand the party is on fire around you and meWe're gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes- Pet Shop Boys chart from 1992-2015Isentress/Prezcobix

for the record, it's still that way throughout the South, because lack of education and religious stigma are what have contributed to over 50% of all new cases of HIV being in the Southern states, and the death rate still being over 50%. (hence the reason for programs like the Southern HIV/Aids Strategy Initiative (SASI) and AIDS United Southern REACH program). On one hand this isn't surprising information though. While the epidemic has already peaked in many of the large urban areas in the North and West, the epidemic hasn't peaked yet in the Southern states with it's mainly rural areas where there are fewer people who have less education and access to proper health care

btw New Orleans is the city with the 9th highest rate of HIV infection in America. It's unlikely that decent education about HIV WAS happening, much less IS happening yet (though it is improving), in that city.

Thanks for bringing that up -- while NO is not as large as Philly, the demographics are similar. The gay white community in NO has long known about HIV and it's very mendacious to suggest otherwise. Same thing in Philly, where +44% of the population is majority black. (NO is ~60% black). It's those communities where you're seeing most new HIV infections, and of course, in terms of this thread that doesn't apply to La Treyabella and more than it does me.

Of course, that is not to say it's not a dire situation, but it's not just the South where HIV is hitting black communities in the most dire manner. Just come visit Philly, Camden, Trenton and Newark, all of which have very large populations when you see how they overflow their actual city limits and fill all of New Jersey, the densest state in the US.

ps: there's religious stigma in any black community -- it's not a Southern thing only.

I just lost another extended family member. My partners's cousin has blocked me. He didn't just de-friend me, but blocked me. He is completely unsearchable to me. He even doesn't show up in the friend lists of mutual friends. It is like he doesn't exist. And, that's fine.

I kept my mouth shut, when he was posting so many pro-gun posts. From what the family says, he has become one of those people obtaining several guns and food. He thinks the country will collapse. He is from Michigan, so that explains a little of the militia mindset. I posted about mental health and he made a joke that not providing it is population control.

After he posted a clip of Mike Huckabee, saying taking prayer out of schools and God out of America was the cause of the tragedy, I finally replied. I was cordial and just said I wish it was that simple. But, how do you explain slavery, lynchings, and wars, during the good ol' days? So, he blocked me. The family has said he grew up very, very spoiled. He cannot take someone disagreeing with him or telling him no. I think this explains why he has changed jobs so much. And, why he is on his third marriage. I would hope someone with so many weapons would be a tad more calm, and not fly off over something so small.

So, I think I should just tell family, especially my partners's family, that it would be best to not be friends on Facebook. Besides his mom, they all are conservative. We've already had a Facebook blow up with his brother and sister-in-law over marriage equality. My therapist said I have to be careful, because I am not blood, and families often take sides with blood relatives, even when they're in the wrong.

He blocks me, when I've kept his attempted molestation a secret from the family. Several years ago, he was drunk and coming on to me. He grabbed me from behind, and began thrusting his erect penis against my butt. He said he was drunk and just kidding around. If he says I started the Facebook issue with him, I will blab.

I kept my mouth shut, when he was posting so many pro-gun posts. From what the family says, he has become one of those people obtaining several guns and food. He thinks the country will collapse. He is from Michigan, so that explains a little of the militia mindset. I posted about mental health and he made a joke that not providing it is population control.

Well thank your lucky stars you are off his radar when he finally cracks up you'll be safer.

Logged

ďFrom each, according to his ability; to each, according to his needĒ 1875 K Marx

I've kept his attempted molestation a secret from the family. Several years ago, he was drunk and coming on to me. He grabbed me from behind, and began thrusting his erect penis against my butt. He said he was drunk and just kidding around. If he says I started the Facebook issue with him, I will blab.

OH no no no Teddy . Even though he attempted to forceably take your low road , I would definitely attempt to take the high road where he is concerned and not do a tit for tat thing , you wouldn't want it to escalate into more bad blood would you ? . If I remember correctly you once posted you had to use lube just to poo , so you were really in no danger from his drunken dry hump anyway were you ? Just chock it up to a failed bonding experience on his part .

I don't understand you people going on a deleting spree. I'm doing the opposite.

Hell I just added the most tart-hearted radicalized liberal I've ever known who has a bad case of foul mouth and chronic diarrhea.

Logged

"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

Seroconverted: Early 80sTested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Atripla. Last regimen: Epzicom, Sustiva (since its inception with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky )Past regimensFun stuff (in the past): HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP